A terrorist who confessed to masterminding both the 9/11 attacks and London's July 7 bombings could be walking free on British streets within days. Haroon Aswat, 50, is set to be released from a secure hospital unit despite officials declaring him a "risk to national security."
According to The Sun, newly surfaced US court documents reveal Aswat openly admitted his involvement in the terrorist attacks that claimed thousands of lives. Aswat was jailed in the US in 2015 for 20 years after admitting to attempting to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon. He was deported back to Britain in 2022, where he reportedly declared, "I'm a terrorist," to a British psychiatrist who visited him in America prior to his return.
The convicted terrorist's impending release has sparked concern among officials and politicians alike, with Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick stating, "He should never experience freedom again." Despite these concerns, Aswat will only be subject to a notification order upon release, requiring him to keep the police informed of his address, foreign travel details, and vehicle registration.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Court documents describe Aswat as a terrorist and foot soldier of al-Qaeda who openly admitted his involvement in major terrorist attacks. In March 2017, he reportedly stated, "If you think I am a terrorist, I don't shy away from my responsibility," while also claiming to be a "mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and a 2005 terrorist attack in the UK."
The papers further reveal Aswat's associations with Osama bin Laden and his time training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan shortly before the September 11 attacks. His name was discovered on a ledger in a Pakistani house where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the "architect" of 9/11, had been staying.
Police also traced 20 calls made by the 7/7 bombers to a phone connected to Aswat. The London bombings of July 7, 2005, killed 52 people on underground trains and a bus, making it one of Britain's deadliest terrorist attacks.
Ongoing Security Threat Assessment
Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Rees, head of operations for the Met's SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, expressed grave concerns about Aswat in a witness statement. "Based on my experience, this is conduct which gives me grave concerns about the risk which the defendant poses to the UK's national security and to the public," he stated.
Dr. Richard Taylor, who evaluated Aswat in 2022, found that he still posed a risk to the public. The report states that in 2017, Aswat made remarks to prison staff supporting Al Qaeda and threatened violence toward them. In 2022, he sent letters making demands and death threats, seemingly motivated by terrorist ideology.
Although diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, displaying unpredictable and aggressive behavior, Dr. Taylor concluded Aswat was not mentally ill. Instead, he noted that even when mentally stable, Aswat continued to express violent, extremist Islamic ideology and showed traits of "glibness, superficial charm, charisma, intelligence and elements of manipulativeness and narcissism."
From Yorkshire to Terror Networks
Born and raised in Yorkshire, Aswat later moved to Wood Green in north London where he fell under the influence of hate preacher Abu Hamza. Together, they planned a terror training camp in Oregon, with Aswat relocating to Seattle to organize it.
His global connections extended to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he met and associated with fellow Yorkshire terror sympathizers Mohammed Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer. These two individuals would later carry out the deadly 7/7 bombings in London.
After serving most of his sentence in America, Aswat was deported back to the UK in December 2022. He is currently detained at Bethlem Royal Hospital in Bromley, southeast London, where his treatment has been deemed "effective" by a psychiatrist, with his release expected "in the relatively near future."
Judicial Assessment of Risk
Earlier this year, Mr. Justice Jay of the High Court concluded that Aswat presented an ongoing risk despite no formal terrorist risk assessment being conducted since his return to Britain. "These were very serious offences and there is evidence of ongoing risk," Justice Jay stated.
The judge noted that risk assessment in relation to terrorist offending is "always inherently uncertain" and in Aswat's case, is "compounded by the mental instability of the defendant." Despite these concerns, Justice Jay ruled that a notification order would be sufficient upon Aswat's release.
Dr. Taylor, without completing a full terrorist risk assessment, identified 15 of the 22 relevant factors in the government's extreme risk guidance. He concluded there remains "the risk of Islamic violent extremism motivated targeted terrorist offending behaviour given his threats to kill Jews, Christians and certain groups of Muslims."
